Beverage dispensers traditionally combine a diluent such as water with a beverage base such as a syrup and the like. These beverage bases generally have a dilution or a reconstitution ratio of about three to one (3:1) to about six to one (6:1). The beverage bases usually come in large bag-in-box containers that require significant amounts of storage space and may need to be refrigerated. These storage requirements often necessitate the need to position these bag-in-box containers away from the dispenser in a backroom with a long supply line. Each bag-in-box container usually only holds a beverage base for a single type or flavor of beverage such that multiple bag-in-box containers may be required to provide the consumer with a variety of beverage options.
Resent improvements in beverage dispensing technology have focused on the use of micro-ingredients. With micro-ingredients, the traditional beverage bases may be separated into their constituent parts at much higher reconstitution ratios. These micro-ingredients then may be stored in much smaller packages and stored closer to, adjacent to, or within the beverage dispenser itself. The beverage dispenser preferably may provide the consumer with multiple beverage options as well as the ability to customize his or her beverage as desired.
Beverage dispensers incorporating such highly concentrated micro-ingredients have proven to be highly popular with consumers. One example of the use of such micro-ingredients is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,896 B2 to Carpenter, et al., entitled “BEVERAGE DISPENSING SYSTEM.” U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,896 B2 is incorporated herein by reference herein in full. Likewise, such micro-ingredient technology is incorporated in the highly popular “FREESTYLE®” refrigerated beverage dispensing units provided by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Ga. The “FREESTYLE®” refrigerated beverage dispensing units can dispense over 125 brands without the need for extensive storage space.
There is now a desire to incorporate such micro-ingredient technology for behind the counter or crew serve applications in venues such as quick service restaurants and the like. The use of such micro-ingredient technology would allow the venue to offer dozens of different beverages without significant storage requirements in a fast and efficient manner.